Heaven

Aren't pedicures wonderful?!

Life Changes

Well, sometimes the Lord throws changes at you. Whether you are ready for them or not!

A few weeks ago, I got released as the Young Women's President in our ward. I had served in that calling for almost 4 years - essentially since Mike and I were married. This suddenly means I no longer go to class with them on Sundays, no longer go to Wednesday night activities with them, and no longer spend many weekends with them at stake activities. It also means that I no longer get to spend time with the girls that I love with all of my heart. I have bawled many times about this release. And I know that it was time to move on... but knowing that didn't make it any easier!

I also got a new calling: nursery leader. For many of you, this sounds like a fun calling. To me, this is terrifying. I don't know what I'm doing, and I don't get to be with any adults! I already spend all day at home with my kiddo, and now I get to do more of that at church! Now, lest I sound like a huge whiner, I do already love the kids in the nursery, so I'm sure I will learn and grow in this position. But, it is a big change for me!

In addition to the changes at church, the Sylvan Learning Center where I have worked for the last 4 years is also shutting down at the end of this month. So now I'm out of a part time job, too! Not only will I miss my co-workers there and the students I teach, but now I also have to wrestle with the question of do I try to do some tutoring from home? If so, how many hours? How do I find students? What materials do I use? Many possible life changes could come up depending on what I decide.

And one more big change, albeit temporary. My life-long dream of being in a play is finally coming true! I auditioned at our community theater and got a part as Betty Meeks in "The Foreigner." It is a very funny show, and I think my character is hilarious. I am loving rehearsals (another big life change - 3 nights a week out of the house). (Ignore the information at the top of the picture - that's not my theater. It was just a fun image I stole off the Internet.) So anyone in the area, feel free to come watch! Sunday July 11 at 2:00, Monday-Saturday July 12-17 at 7. See you there!

Lots of changes, huh? Thank goodness for prayer that can help us adapt!

One Year Old!

Okay, so I'm way late with this post, but my little boy turned one! We waited until the weekend after to celebrate so his grandparents could be there, too. He was fascinated by the candle on his cake (it cracked in the hour after I decorated it and before I snapped a picture - pooh)

and had NO problem digging into his little smash cupcake! :)

He didn't quite understand the idea of unwrapping until we helped him, but he LOVED his toys!

(He literally would not let go of that mower for the next hour!)

And, of course, he enjoyed playing with Grandma and Grandpa all weekend long.

We love you, Aidan! Happy Birthday!

Garden

The last few years, we thought we would do a garden up at the community plots near Mike's work. And somehow we just never got around to it.

Then this year, they closed the community plots. If we wanted to do a garden, it would have to be here in our own backyard. I decided to give it a shot.

First, we had to get permission from our landlord. Then, we had to pull up some grass, borrow a tiller, make a fence, and do our planting.

And the result? Ta-da!

With hopefully some produce pictures in the fall!

Trip to Washington

I had a BLAST with my sister in Washington! I got to see my nephews, Josh and Tyler:

I also got to meet my niece, Sarah:
My sister Lisa finally got to meet Aidan:

Aidan had a great time with his cousins. At first, he didn't quite know how to interact with them. They would all wrestle or tickle or play, and he would just quietly watch on the side.


But by the end of the trip, he was jumping right into the middle of things with them! He particularly had a fun time with Sarah. Although she is 9 months older than he is, they are almost exactly the same size. They took baths together,shared a room (Aidan didn't sleep in her crib, I just put him there for the picture),

and even shared clothes! (Sarah is wearing Aidan's jacket here.)

Mike and I both noticed how much more Aidan was talking after the trip - he learned from his cousins! Speaking of talking, I loved staying up late talking with Lisa and her husband Eric,

although it left us all VERY tired each day!

It was an amazing trip - thanks again for letting us visit, Lisa! :)

First Word

So, Aidan said his first word. Any guesses what it was?

These Are A Few Of His Favorite Things....

(Feel free to sing along in your head... or out loud! :)

Duh duh, duh duh.
Duh duh, duh duh...

Climbing the staircase

and getting in cupboards,

Sleeping face downward

and laughing at Daddy,

Looking out windows

and dancing with Mom,

These are a few of his favorite things!

When it's naptime,

Or Mom says no,

Or he's feeling sad,

He simply gets into his favorite things,

And then he won't feel... so bad!